When The Light Fades
by Neros-Wolf Gundam
Summary: Xander has confided in Willow that the hyena never left and she decides to fix it...uh oh...  DARK FIC!  Character death! Three of them don't stay dead though. WARNING: SLASH IMPLIED Spike/Xander Willow/Tara


When the Light Fades

Rating: NC-17  
Warnings: M/M, Hyena!Xander  
Pairing: Spike/Xander  
Summary: Xander confided in Willow the fact that Xander's hyena never left and tries to fix it…uh oh…  
Disclaimer: I don't own Spike, Willow, or Xander or any of the Buffy cast. I just do this for fun, so don't sue.  
Status: COMPLETE

When the Light Fades

His feet pounding away at the ground as he ran, scents in his nose directing him which way to go, free at last and he wasn't going back. So what if this was an accident, it was a very good accident and he wasn't letting anyone 'fix it' ever again. Skidding to a halt, he looked around at his scent road map before changing directions directly for Willy's. He had some things to do…

* * *

"Do we have any idea where he is?" Giles asked as he walked around from behind the counter, glasses clenched in one hand and a cleaning cloth in the other.

Willow, who was currently in tears over the recent flubbed up spell, could only shake her head. Tara patted her hand before looking at Giles. "No, we don't. R-right after the spell he just k-kinda looked around and ran out the door. We d-don't know which way he went."

"Look, I stopped him before and I'll stop him again. I bet he's out looking for little piggys to eat." Buffy said as she hopped off the counter. She was the slayer; this was her specialty after all.

"But Buffy you had to hit him in the head with a desk last time!" Willow cried. Tara, who hadn't been around last time just listened to the conversation. "Besides, he had a pack last time too. He doesn't this time, he could be anywhere. We don't know what he'll do."

"All the better to stop him, ya know. No pack means no buddies to gang up on me with. Just knock him out, bring him back here, and make with the mojo." Buffy replied confidently.

"I beg to differ, Buffy. It was 'mojo' that got us in this situation in the first place. Thus why resident witches should always check with the resident watcher before initiating spells." He gave Willow his stern, fatherly look and Willow could only nod.

"She just wanted to get rid of it. After Xander told us that the hyena never really left and that he's been struggling with it we needed to look into it Giles." Dawn said from her spot on the counter.

"Yes, while I agree with that logic it was the spell chosen for this purpose that caused the problem." Giles said as he lifted the book with the spell in question into his hands. "I'm afraid your Latin is not as it should be, Willow. What you thought said to release the demon from this vessel actually translates to 'free this demon from its bondage' and there lay the mix up. You wanted to remove the demon from Xander, but this spell releases it from whatever is holding it back I'm afraid."

"Oh goddess…I really screwed up this time huh? I thought…" Willow trailed off, a fresh wave of tears imminent as Tara put her arms around Willow.

"Is there any way that we can fix this Giles?" Buffy asked as she appeared at his elbow.

"I'm afraid there might not be. You see, what concerns me is the fact the hyena remained after all this time and the spell meant to remove it at the hyena house. It could be quite possible, and as this is the hellmouth I would not doubt it, the hyena may very well have been there since he was a child and was only recently agitated." Giles replied. He was concerned about this, that he would start to cause problems. They could speculate what it was that kept the hyena buried all these years but speculation would get them nowhere. The only hope they had was to find a spell to properly seal the hyena back into its cage.

* * *

Willy looked up as the door swung open and shut again, surprised to see the slayer's puppy boy walk in. There was something about him different though. He looked…dangerous. Never had he looked dangerous before. "Harris? Kinda early isn't it? And alone, I woulda thought you'd never come back in here without the slayer by your side. Good thing it's early though, not many demons here to take an interest and I don't feel like explaining to the slayer why yo-"

Xander grabbed Willy by the lapels and pulled him halfway over the bar. His eyes sparkled in the dark bar as he growled, "you talk too much, Willy." He shoved the bartender back behind the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. "Give me a beer."

"Sorry, I don't serve minors." That earned Willy a growl and evil eye from Xander and the boy was sending off the creepiest vibes right now. Best not to rile him up, "I-I mean uh… sure. On the house." He quickly filled a mug and sat it in front of Xander who took it and took a drink. "So, got yourself possessed again huh?"

"Not again." Xander replied as he downed half the beer before stopping for a breath. He ignored Willy's babbling to cataloge what demons were in there at the time. His nose told him everything he needed to know: two Etian demons in the corner, allergic to sunlight and copper; a chaos demon at the other end of the bar, he doubted he'd cause much trouble for him at all; and a Gegresh demon eyeing him from the other side of the room, now there was a demon that might prove to be a bit of a challenge. Gegresh demons were large, green, and mean. They had a ring of short horns around their head and red eyes. Their weak spot was their left shoulder where their heart was. All Xander had to do was wait and…yup, here he comes.

"You're not welcome around demons…Huuuuuumon." The demon growled at Xander as he reached the bar. Xander found himself laughing a little, the way this demon pronounced human reminded him of Quark on DS9.

Willy looked nervously between Xander and the Gegresh. The fact Xander was laughing was pissing the Gegresh off to no ends, this was going to end in a blood bath and Willy did not want to explain to Buffy why her best friend was nothing but blood soup on his floor. "Come on Jresh, the kid don't know no better. Besides, he's a friend of the slayer. You really want that bitch after you?"

"Don't care, puny huuuuuumon insulted me." And this sent Xander into laughter again. Jresh growled ready to attack but Xander ducked out of the way at the last second, giving Jresh clear way head first into the jukebox.

Xander got up to counter the next attack as more demons began to pile in to the bar for their usual night of drinking and gambling. They were treated to the sight of Xander, the slayer's puny human boy, rip two horns right out of Jresh's head and jam on right in his eye and the other directly into Jresh's left shoulder. Jresh stood and swiped at Xander, short of breath now, but Xander merely danced out of the way as Jeresh breathed his last. Only seconds later the demon fell face first at Xander's feet, dead as a doornail.

Willy watched, open mouthed, as Xander took his seat again and finished his beer. He put the money for it on the table and got up to face the crowd that had gathered at the other end of the bar near the pool tables. "Alright, I suppose most of you saw that. That's what the slayer is gona look like eventually. But I need a few things first. Any demons here have any information on the initiative or the doctors that work there?" Silence met Xander's question, and Xander began to become impatient, "Tick tock, guys. I haven't got all night here! She's gona be out looking for me any way to 'fix' this." He made sure to include the air quotes.

The demons obviously were too scared to say anything, too stunned at how handily Xander had managed a gegresh demon. Xander contemplated picking up a pool cue to dust a few of the vampires to drive his point home, as it were, until one of the Etian demons spoke up, "I might know something."

Xander turned to the demons and smiled charmingly, "Perfect, what do you know."

"Depends what you want the information for. You want to take down the slayer yeah? Well that's good for all of us demons, but why include the initiative?" The pale-blue skinned demon asked.

"I've got a certain vampire, one fourth Scourge of Europe, to pull out of retirement." Xander replied, a glint in his eyes as the other demons realized what it was Xander was planning.

* * *

"We really don't know what hit us." Riley said through a hiss as Buffy applied an icepack to his head. "My unit was ordered to report to the upper levels for a lose hostile. It was like nothing we have ever seen, he looked human but he fought like a demon."

"What did it look like?" Willow, finally having regrouped herself enough to not be on the verge of tears every time she talked to someone about Xander, asked.

"Well, it looked a lot like Xander but it could have been a demon in his shape for all we know. He fought like a demon." Riley replied as he held the icepack against his face. A piece of metal ripped off a wall had winged him and he'd been out for the rest of the fight.

"Besides beating up the rest of your guys, did he take anything?" Dawn asked from the other side of the table.

Buffy nodded at her sister, "good question." This caused Dawn to smile.

"Well, some medical equipment was taken from one of the experimentation labs, and one of the doctors was found missing after a head count was made." Riley replied, looking up at them.

Giles paced around the table, back toward the counter, and paused, "we have to face the facts that this very well could be Xander's doing."

"It's not Xander! It's just the hyena making him do this." Willow insisted. She didn't want to face the fact that this Xander was really Xander not her Xander.

Giles sighed, wishing that he didn't have to deal with a witch in denial, "I'm sorry Willow, but we've been over this. The hyena is not controlling him. It merely makes his inhibitions and moral compass have less of an effect on him. All of his deep dark desires are unleashed now and he doesn't have anything stopping him from fulfilling those desires."

"Yeah, but what would he want with an Initiative doctor and a bunch of medical equipment. It's not like he ever had a stint in there…" Buffy said as she helped Riley.

"No…but Spike did." Tara said quietly, surprised that everyone turned on her suddenly when the words left her mouth. They all realized that the only reason Xander would have taken those items was for Spike.

* * *

It was another crappy Monday night, nothing on to watch and no way to go out for a fresh meal or sommat. Spike tossed the remote across the room and hitched a leg up over the arm of his recliner. His pale elegant fingers dropped down beside the chair to search for the bottle of Jack there. No one to shag with, no way to hunt, Spike was royally screwed. Might as well just go lay down and let the sun claim him.

Tipping the bottle back and taking a drink, Spike snorted. He wasn't about to let those wankers win. He was a fucking vampire, he was feared and he would be feared again if he had any say in it. Then he'd live on nothing but fucking soldier boys and pompous scientists.

Taking another drink Spike was considering how much work it would be to get up and get another bottle, as the current one was almost empty, when there was a knock on his door. He sighed, "Better not be you, Slayer. I ain't got any information for your sorry arse, so you might as well leave."

"Sorry, wrong Scooby," Xander said as he entered the crypt. If Spike were surprised that it was Xander and not Buffy, he didn't show it.

"And wot can I do you out of tonight, Harris?" Spike asked as he tossed his empty whiskey bottle away.

Xander paced around the crypt, looking around at the items there. It was a real dump, Xander had to admit. And Spike had been living here for some time now; it was about time he changed that. "More like, what can I do _you_ out of, Spike?" He saw the frown crease Spike's brow and smiled as he continued, "Must be hard huh? That chip always going off every time you try to feed yourself. Probably would have starved by now if you hadn't had some help. Personally, I think Angel shoulda got off his high horse and come help his grandchilde, but he's too busy repressing the fact he's a vampire too to bother I guess. And then all these girls, they just leave you. Drusilla, Harmony, Buffy… you'd think out of all those you'd find one that'd actually stick around."

"Get to the point, whelp," Spike growled, "'aven't got all night."

Xander closed the distance between himself and Spike and dropped to a crouch next to Spike. "It wasn't you Spike. It was never because of you. They didn't see what they had; they didn't see what a treasure you were." Spike eyed Xander curiously, the boy was different. His scent was different, his mannerisms were different, everything was different…more…powerful… Spike placed the scent finally; the boy had a primal in him, well good on him. He watched as Xander leaned up, bringing his mouth closer to Spike's ear, "I want to show you I know what a treasure you are… Spike I want you. And I want us to bring down the slayer. "

This caused Spike to rear around so he could see Xander's eyes, "wot…?" There was no way Xander was suggesting what he thought he was.

"That was Drusilla and Harmony's problem was, wasn't it? Always after the slayer, always thinking about the slayer. But they decided to leave you instead of doing something about it…didn't they? I want you Spike, and I want to show the slayer she's not the best. Out of all her foes… you were the one that came the closest to beating her Spike. If it hadn't been for Joyce you may very well have had her that night at the parent teacher thing. Even after the initiative bastards did what they did you were still feared. No one ever saw you as a neutered vampire really, you were still dangerous." Xander smirked as he saw Spike give in to his words, slowly swaying the vampire to his side. Everything was going just as he had planned.

"Tryin to butter me up, hmm Harris? Well, it's working." A slow smile spread across Spike's face, "only problem is the chip mate. Yeah, love to bring that bitch down a peg or two. But the moment I start thinkin nasty nasty thoughts about 'er, the thing fires." Spike mumbled as he looked around for the other bottle he had stashed around here.

Xander grabbed Spike's chin to bring his gaze back around before he spoke again, "What if I said I could do something about that…?" Spike's eyes widened as the implications sunk in to what Xander had just said.

* * *

Spike looked around at the abandoned wear house on the outskirts of town. He had to hand it to Xander, not bringing the things to the crypt. That'd be the first place the scooby's would look. And they'd probably check the old factory, where Spike had last holed up with Drusilla. Besides, they wouldn't be here long. They'd need to find a better, more secure lair after this as well. Didn't need the slayer knockin on their front door. "Nice job, pet, pickin out the 'ideout for this little operation."

Xander grinned as he leaned on the door leading in, "Yeah well, I've got some experience. Besides the hyena I've got the memories of a soldier in here…" Xander tapped at his head, "…from the Halloween where everyone turned into their costume. Remember? Buffy was in that big dress and you rallied up all the little midget demons?"

Spike paused to remember the incident and grinned, "yeah I do remember, that was…neat."

"You're telling me; those memories saved my hide a bunch of times. So here's a big yay for Ethan Rayen's fucked up plans." Xander grinned as he put little effort into twisting the stiff, rusty locking mechanism and loudly shoved the door open with a mighty groaning sound from the door. They walked in to the nearly empty wear house and Spike could see far in one corner an area lit up. It looked like an operation room, with the bed and instruments set out for use. He also noticed a cowering human in a cage just off to the side of that area.

"So tell me pet, 'ow'd you find that base anyway?" Spike asked as he sauntered over beside Xander.

"Oh ya know, got it out of the resident demon population. You see I beat up and killed this Gegresh demon and-"

Spike stopped when he heard that, "'ang on a tick yeah? You killed a Gegresh?" When Spike got an ecstatic nod, his eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline "nice, luv, very nice. Those are tough bastards."

Xander could only grin at the praise; it felt good to impress someone like that. "Yeah, after that I had the demons eating out of my hand. I even managed to shut Willy up. Anyway, one of them had a brother that had escaped the base so he told me where it was. After that it was just a matter of remembering some of the codes to get into the base. Then, when I got in, I did a base wide prisoner release. That was distraction enough to let me get in, get what I needed, find the scientist, and get back out again."

Spike nodded; he had to hand it to the boy, he was good at this being bad thing. And Spike could still teach him so many things. Spike couldn't pass up the chance to cultivate and corrupt Xander even more. Too bad he didn't have the witch with him, that little girl had a lot of fire behind her. It'd be perfect if he could have corrupted them both. Spike smiled, maybe he would be able to after all. She'd never want to give up on her Xander shaped friend. Perhaps if she thought she'd have a chance to get him back she'd come with them and he'd slowly work his own dark magic on her. He was sure he had her to thank for this new and improved Xander.

They came upon the cage of the small, cowering human. It seemed the human had time to grow a back bone because he spoke as defiantly as his quivering voice could sound, "I won't do it, I won't unchip Hostile 17. He is a danger."

Xander jumped at the bars, causing the small man to jump back. Xander smirked at him as he caressed the bars as if he were caressing a lover, "That's too bad ya know. Cause…if you don't then I'll have ta kill you. It's about time my Spike had a hot, fresh meal. And if you don't unchip him that means I have to kill you so he can feed from you. Then I'll just have to go find another one of your pals back at the base. Now…you wouldn't want to wish something like this-" Xander waived his hand around at the ware house, "-on them, would you?"

The mousy little man seemed to consider this for a moment before he shook his head,

Xander smiled at that, "See, I'm easy. I'll tell you what you do this for me and I promise I'll let you live."

The mousy little man again nodded before coming over to the door to be let out. Xander let him out and the man looked at Spike as he walked over to the operation area, "if you would please remove your coat and shirt we can begin." The man took stock of the equipment laid out before him. He was one of the main doctors on developing and implanting the chips, so he knew right where it was in Spike's head. It was just a matter of having the right equipment and getting in there. It seemed the boy had gotten nearly everything he'd need. "Unfortunately I won't be able to administer anything to knock you out; we have found it does not work on hostiles..." He heard Spike growl and corrected himself "…v-vampires, vampires I mean. But I can administer some local anesthetics just before I start to numb the pain."

"I know all this already, doc. Get wiv it, yeah?" Spike said s he had removed both his shirt and duster before getting up on the table. He noticed Xander openly ogling him from just outside the operating area and tilted his head a bit, "see something you like, Harris?"

"Just enjoying the view," Xander's smug smile was enough to make Spike smile. He was about to get this triple damned chip removed and life was good. Laying back on the table, Spike was thinking about his first kill. What it would taste like after so long living without fresh kills. He was going to bathe in the town's fucking blood.

Xander sat back, clutching Spike's clothes close in his lap so nothing happened to them, while he watched the doctor work. First was the needle with the local anesthetic to numb the area he was about to cut into. A small square was then cut open on the top of Spike's head. Xander had a hard time holding himself still, he did not like watching some doctor cut into his mate. Yes, his mate. He planned to make Spike his mate as soon as they dealt with the slayer problem and had a solid plan for the future. Perhaps even had a plan for Willow as well, but that was another story.

When the circular bone saw buzzed to life Xander had to stop himself from growling, reminding himself that the doctor was removing the chip not further harming Spike. Whatever pain Spike may be in right now was necessary to make him whole again.

The doctor set aside the small square of bone he'd sawed out of Spike's head. He worked quickly, locating the chip and severing the connections carfully, before removing the chip and setting it to the side. Xander was amazed that all of Spike's problems had come from that tiny piece of silicone and soldering. Good riddance, in Xander's opinion.

The doctor carefully replaced the piece of bone, all three men in the room knowing it would all knit back together soon, before closing and sewing the incision in Spike's scalp. He carefully ensured that there was no bleeding, as because of the properties in vampire saliva it ensured the blood flowed and kept flowing. So, the blood in Spike's body would not coagulate and he would simply bleed out., thus the necessity of ensuring the wound in Spike's head stayed closed properly until it healed.

After removing his gloves and setting everything to the side he looked to Xander, "I've done as you asked, may I go now please?"

Before Xander could say a word, Spike was looming over the small scientist. "No one said you could go, mate…" Spike grabbed the man before wrenching his head to the side to bare his jugular. Spike watched it twitch and throb with life, his mouth watering for the life giving blood. Not just any blood, fresh hot blood straight off the tap so to speak. Finally, after all this time hobbled he was a vampire again, a real vampire that inspired fear and disgust in white hats. Shifting faces Spike bared his fangs "You're one of the blokes that put that fucking thing in me to begin wiv. Besides, gotta test to make sure I'm all better." And without further preamble he sunk his deadly fangs into the man's vein and started to pull draught after draught of blood, drinking his fill.

The man turned surprised eyes to Xander and the boy smiled and shrugged, "Sorry, I said I'd let you live. I never said anything about Spike." He watched Spike drain the man until the spark of life left his eyes and only an empty husk remained. He watched the body fall to the floor with a dull thud and Xander got up, "awww, you coulda turned him into a minion ya know."

"Pretty pathetic minion he'd make, pet." Spike smirked as he walked forward to retrieve his coat and shirt.

"How's it feel to be whole again, Spike?" Xander asked, relinquishing the vampire's shirt and then his coat.

"Fan-fucking-tastic, pet. Fresh blood is like fucking ambrosia." Spike said as he sidled up to Xander, "And you made it 'appen," he let actions speak for how grateful he really was without having to say it. He leaned in, pressing his bloody lips against Xander's and was encouraged when the boy didn't shy away. In fact, Xander's tongue darted out to catch every drop, every taste of blood that was left on Spike's lips and in Spike's mouth. Xander was perfect, just fucking perfect. The way he attacked Spike's mouth like this, it was a sign Spike couldn't ignore. The boy accepted him for everything he was, not like his previous lovers. Maybe, just maybe, this was the one. The one Spike had long waited for. Only time would really tell.

Xander pulled away, rather reluctantly Spike noticed, before speaking. "Alright, enough of the mushy for now okay? We've got a lot of stuff to do yet. Namely, knock over the slayer and figure out our moves after that."

"I say ditch the town after we've taken the slayer down. We can go anywhere in the world we want, pet." Spike replied as he followed Xander out of the ware house.

"Sounds good, but remember we take down Buffy and the others are gona be after us. They may very well take it to the ends of the earth. Besides, Willow has been like my sister. I don't want to just leave her." Xander said, opening the door leading outside into fresh air.

"Wouldn't mind 'avin Red tag along, you know. Wouldn't mind corrupting 'er a bit, me." Spike said as he pulled his coat around him tighter, the night had an odd chill to it tonight.

Xander grinned softly at Spike, "Good to know we're on the same page here. I say take out Buffy and Giles and grab Willow and Tara and get out of town."

"Dunno if Glinda would go for it, pet." Spike mentioned, surprisingly that saddened him. He liked the witches; they were nice to him at least. He wouldn't mind having both Red and Glinda tagging along. His own version of the Scourge of Europe.

"That's depressingly accurate, actually Spike. I still care about Willow ya know, I don't wana hurt her or Tara. And she loves Tara, I know she does. Maybe we'll take out Buffy and Giles and then get out of town." Xander was trying to work it out in his head and he had to admit it was giving him a headache. He just wanted to do it and get it over with so they could get on with their lives.

Spike looked over at Xander, he seemed rather sad that he had to give up his friend. "Or, we might be able to trick 'em into joining us luv."

Xander paused to look at Spike, "And how would we accomplish this?"

"Well, I reckon I get them thinking if they were to come along they may 'ave the chance to get you back to normal, but while we're travelin we look into ways to make it impossible to put the beast back in the cage, yeah? Then, we work our own mojo on 'em. Wot you think?" Spike turned to look at the boy.

Xander slowly grinned, "Hey that's that reverse psychology stuff huh? See, I did pay attention in class!" Xander said as he poked Spike's arm. "That totally sounds like it'd work. But you'd have to sound like whatever we did was me making you do it or something. Make them think your still on their side"

"You are evil pet…" Spike grinned, "you're coming along nicely."

"Learned from the best!" Xander grinned in Spike's direction before leading Spike toward his car. There was still a lot of plotting yet to do, but their plans were coming together nicely now. It was just a matter of executing them.

* * *

Giles got up when he heard the knock on his door. They were currently having problems locating Xander. Their first few tries had turned up nothing; Spike's crypt seemed deserted and Xander obviously hadn't been back to his apartment yet anyway. Willow said she would attempt a scry spell to locate Xander and/or Spike but they weren't holding their breath.

Giles frowned when he looked through the peep hole of his door, seeing Spike on the other side. And Spike looked as though he'd gone through a few rounds with a 900 pound Chirago demon. Giles quickly opened his door to be face to face with Spike, "good lord, whot happened to you?"

"Your puppy boy, that's wot! The whelp shows up at the crypt all demanding an takes me away to this ware'ouse for some reason. Dunno wot, but knowing him it weren't gona turn out good for me so I got the fuck out of there. Not before the little shit roughed me up a bit, when the fuck did he get so strong mate? Anyway, figure might be more your department. Besides, I get a splitting headache every time I try to even pinch a 'uman." Spike moaned as he leaned against Giles' door.

"You say you saw Xander? Where was he?" Giles asked, quickly grabbing his coat, "did he say where he was going?"

Spike shook his head lightly, "dunno whot 'e was up to but 'e said sommat about the slayer, showin 'er 'e was worthy or some shit… wot the fuck is going on!"

"I'll explain on the way, Spike, but we need to go find Xander right now. I'm afraid things have already gotten out of hand as it is and we cannot risk it going any farther. We may need to deal with Xander with extreme prejudice I'm afraid if he-"

At the talk of hurting his boy Spike didn't hold back. Giles didn't see him pick up the terracotta pot from his porch and bring it up. It smashed with a satisfying crunch atop Giles' head, causing the retired librarian to fall face first to the ground. Spike walked forward slowly, his boots all Giles could see through his blurred vision, "you won't be 'arming my boy, watcher. Perfect just the way 'e is, we're gona cause some beautiful fucking 'avoc together."

Unable to hold his head up any longer, Giles promptly passed out after hearing Spike's words. They were all screwed. Spike rolled the man over and started to search his pockets for keys. When he came up with them he smirked and drug the watcher over to his car and tossed him in the back, "don't worry, mate. Wouldn't dream of leaving you out of the fun, would I. Your gona be front and center to watch wot my boy has planned. You'll get to see 'ow spectacularly you failed." Spike got into the driver seat of Giles' car before lighting up a cigarette, "don't smoke in the shoppe Spike, don't smoke in the 'ouse Spike, boots off the coffee table Spike." Spike snorted in a mocking tone, "I'll get mine back an more, just you wait." Spike flicked some ashes off toward the back seat and started the car up, "'appy fuckin Birthday to me," And drove off with a squelch of tires.

* * *

Spike arrived at the slayer's house. Having a previous invite he didn't need to trick anyone this time. He got out of the car and sniffed around a minute before smirking, his boy was already here. Bout time they brought the slayer down once and for all. After that he'd give the slayer hunting a rest, this one had given him loads of trouble and besides, he had Xander and possibly the witches to corrupt.

He wasn't sure what would happen to Dawn. If the slayer was dead chances were she'd probably cease to exist. Course, if she was still around after Buffy was dead they'd figure something out. Maybe he'd turn her; that would be fun. Make her his new princess or sommat.

Spike hauled Giles out of the car and started for the door. He didn't need to wait very long, the moment he got to the steps Xander was there opening the door for him. He smirked at the bounty Spike had brought, "Had to knock him out huh?"

"He was threatening doin something to you, got me all mad 'e did. Had t'get nasty. Where've you got 'er stashed?" Spike asked as he stepped through the door way, watcher slung over his shoulder.

"Basement, damn did she put up a fight. Do you believe she actually thinks I wanted her as a mate? The only reason I'm spending any of my time here is to show her she isn't desired by everyone." Xander growled, the slayer was about to learn that she didn't always come first.

"She give you any trouble, luv?" Spike asked as he headed for the basement.

"A little, but at least having been one of her friends gave me an advantage. I know all her moves so it was just a matter of tripping her up and smashing her pretty little head to the floor to knock her out. I suggest you drain her a bit, just to keep her pliable." Xander winked and Spike growled in appreciation, the boy knew what he was doing.

The house was deathly quiet as Spike decended the stairs. Either Dawn wasn't home or she was oblivious to what was about to happen. Spike had a feeling it was the former, the bit sometimes hated the slayer as much as he did and wouldn't pass up a chance to watch her sister be brought down a peg or two.

Spike found the set up rather inventive. Against one wall Buffy was shackled facing an empty chair. She had blood running down the side of her face, obviously where Xander had bashed her head to the floor. Spike set Giles in the empty chair and began to securely tie him in. Being human it wouldn't take much to hold him down, but Spike wasn't taking chances. Knot after knot, length after length, Spike didn't stop until the watcher was so secure in the chair that movement was impossible.

Spike stood from his work and turned on the slayer. The bitch probably would be able to get out of the shackles, even though Xander had used her head as a super ball she'd still have some strength left in her. The suggestion of draining her a little sounded like a good idea to keep her weak. Spike closed the distance in two strides, grabbed her by the hair, and jerked her head to the side while shifting faces. This was something he'd waited for for a long time. He sunk his fangs, hard and true, right into her jugular and being able to do that was fan-fucking-tastic. The powerful slayer blood zinged through him, giving him the strength of the slayer on top of the previous two he'd killed. It was a rush, and if he wasn't careful he'd kill her easily. They still had some revenge to exact, he couldn't kill her yet.

Pulling away just in time, Spike licked his lips. The powerful blood already making him high as it sizzled inside him. It wouldn't be the last he had of this slayer, not by a long shot, he just had to be a good boy and wait.

He had enjoyed the taste so much he hadn't noticed Xander decend the stairs and come to a stop behind him, his slightly taller stature gave him the perfect height to whisper in Spike's ear, "how was it? Did it make you high? I took a taste, just a little taste when I knocked her out. It was perfect, so powerful and rich. I can just imagine what it does to a Vampire."

"Want to find out?" Spike turned on Xander in his game face, wondering how the boy would take that offer.

To Spike's surprise, Xander slowly smiled, "Sounds fun, but not right now Spike. Later, when we have privacy alright? Being human isn't all that great ya know; we can discuss the particulars later." Spike wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that. But he needn't think on it, the slayer was starting to stir and their fun was about to begin.

"W-what's going on…" Buffy lifted her head and frowned seeing Spike and Xander, "Xander? What are you doing with the fangless wonder?"

"A little slow there, Buffster. I and the fangless wonder are working together. Oh, and he's not so fangless anymore." Xander smirked as he stood in front of Buffy, "I've removed his chip. Oh and he's already drained you a bit so he's ready and willing to kill you any moment. We're just waiting for G-man to join the party." Xander stepped aside so Buffy could see Giles just across from her.

"Xander, think about this okay? Giles has been like a father to you this whole time. Would you really hurt him? What about Dawn?" Buffy was searching for something, anything, to bring their Xander back.

"Well, it's too bad Dawn has to have a sister like you. I figure she might be grateful we took you out. And Giles? Well, he's failed so many times it's a wonder he's still alive. He's failed Jenny, he failed you, he failed me, and he failed my best friend. It's about time he atoned for all those failures don't you think?" Xander sat down in a recliner that he'd brought down and pulled Spike into his lap where he proceeded to kiss his still bloody mouth, slayer blood was the best. He then pulled away and looked over at Buffy, "I've got everything I want now."

Buffy thought of one last effort, one last idea that came to her, "So, this is what's become of the big bad huh Spike? Becoming Xander's play thing, do everything he says?"

Spike snorted, "not gona work slayer, sorry. You see, my boy 'ere 'as done things that none of my other lovers ever did. See, he got rid of the chip, made me whole again, made me feel like a powerful fucking master vampire, and he's 'elpin me deal wiv the slayer. Yeah, I must be out of me fuckin 'ead t'throw my lot in wiv him."

Xander pulled Spike back around to face him, "don't pay her any attention. See, that's what sluts crave. The whole reason they act like they do is for attention." Xander nodded as if he were completely serious.

Spike got the idea and grinned, "You're right, pet. Can't condone that kind of behavior, can we." The two promptly ignored Buffy and her calls for help. Spike gave Xander a right proper snogging while they waited for Giles to wake up. Spike hadn't hit Giles that hard; it was only a matter of time before he woke up.

"Tell me you'll never abandon me, Spike." Xander asked, the confident primal from before hidden behind the terrified little boy. Spike knew Xander had potential to be a terror, but he also had insecurities.

Spike leaned forward, bringing his forehead against Xanders, and smiled reassuringly at him, "Never would I abandon you, pet. Remember all the times I 'ad break ups it was the girls tha' left me. You won't be able to get rid of me."

Xander smiled at that and leaned up, sealing his lips against Spike's in a heated passionate kiss. He had everything he ever wanted, and that was love. He just needed to ensure nothing would ever come between them. First was dealing with the slayer, of course. Chances were Spike would keep obsessing over her until they took her out and Xander wasn't going to be number 2.

While Spike and Xander were having their moment Giles began to stir. The last thing he remembered was talking to Spike and…Spike! He looked around quickly and saw him and Xander on a recliner. It looked as though Spike was trying to drain Xander but from another angle he saw they were actually kissing. He turned to see Buffy hanging limply from a set of chains set into the wall. He worried she may actually be dead, "Buffy." He whispered harshly, glad when her head rose, but worried that she did so weakly. "Buffy, what in heaven's name is going on?" He hoped if he kept his voice low enough he wouldn't alert the two across the room currently snogging.

"It seems Spike and Xander have joined forces and what's worse is he got Spike's chip removed. Giles I'm scared, I'm really weak because he drained me a bit." Buffy's voice quivered, and for the first time in years she really was scared of dying. It wouldn't just happen, like it had before with The Master, Spike would make it hurt.

"Stay calm Buffy, I'm sure we will find a way out. We cannot panic or we will allow them to win." Giles tried to reassure his slayer. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how they would manage to get out of this one. Spike and Xander held all the power now, the only way to get out of it was with words and he wasn't sure if that would be possible. Spike was the only foe so far that had ever come close to defeating Buffy, and now that he had them in this position it was only a matter of killing her and making it hurt.

"Too late, watcher; we've already won." Spike said as he got up from his seat in Xander's lap. "You and your girl are in no position to be 'oping for 'elp. Your white knight is mine now; 'e's the one who set this all up in the first place."

"And what was all that about Xander beating you up, Spike?" Giles asked, disgusted with himself he could have fallen for such a ruse.

Xander got up from his chair and stood behind Spike, putting his arms around the vampire, "Isn't my Spike such a great actor?"

"Xander how could you do this to your best friend?" Buffy asked from behind them.

Xander turned on her; really she was starting to piss him off. But he just smiled, brushing it off. She was about to get hers anyway, not like there was any cause to get angry. "Oh you mean the best friend that demeaned me? The best friend who called me doughnut boy? Zeppo? Loser? 'Oh hey Xan, what ya doing tonight? Trying out for dead end job number 276?' that best friend?" Xander came closer until he was in her face, "The best friend who can't even realize that the nasties aren't just out at night… but in our very own homes too? That the best friend who you're talking about Buffster?"

"Look Xander if you-"

Xander cut her off before she could continue, "Too late, Buffy. I've got what I want now; I just want you to understand one thing." Xander came even closer, their nose almost touching, "you're not god's gift to men. Every man and gay woman does not want to have sex with you. And honestly? I don't know why I ever thought of you as mate material. You may be the slayer, but you're the dirtiest slut I've ever met. I mean how many guys have you been with? You can't even keep them because of the 'oh, I'm the slayer, woe is me I can never have a normal life.' Pathetic!"

Spike was impressed, the look on Buffy's face was almost enough to break his heart…almost…if his heart actually beat. The boy had degraded her nicely. Was about time he came in for the kill. "You know, Slayer, when I imagined getting mine in I always imagined makin it hurt, makin it last, makin you beg for death. But to be honest, I just want you dead. Been waitin for this for so long, wot do you think luv?" Spike turned to Xander, wondering if the boy would mind if he just finished this. The girl was hurting enough as it was now, no harm in cutting it off here and finishing her.

Xander smiled sweetly, "Do whatever ya want; I'm just interested in getting the hell out of here."

"You an me both, luv. Can't wait to be halfway across the world, to be honest." Spike turned on Buffy in game face, bearing his fangs to the girl. "Told you a long time ago, all slayers get theirs eventually. Just a matter of who… and where… and when." Spike took a step forward at each word, "the way of the slayer, you're just one in a long line of little girls in over their 'eads." Spike grabbed her by the hair, making sure to tug it hard enough to hurt, and pulled her head to the side. Anticipation hung in the room, making the air thick with fear and panic that choked the other human in the room, forced to watch his slayer fall like so many before her.

"Please Spike, think about this. You both will be hunted forever. It's not too late to stop now." Giles tried one last time to appeal to either of their sense of morals. While he doubted it would do much good, he had to try something.

"You know wot the other demon's problem was, when tryin to take out the slayer that is luv?" Spike asked Xander as he drew the execution out longer.

"What's that blondie?" Xander used the nick name affectionately now, the usual malice gone and replaced with something deeper Spike couldn't wait to explore. He would have so much fun, turning his childe eventually and having his own little family. Hopefully one that would listen to him.

"They talked too much about wot they were gona do, never _did_ anything." Spike punctuated his statement by sinking his fangs into Buffy's neck, finishing the job he'd started moments before when he weakened her. Buffy tried to kick out, to stop Spike from killing her. But she was already weak and the kicks bounced off his boots and shins without so much as harming him.

Xander watched as Buffy sagged in her bonds, the power of the slayer transferring itself once again into Spike. He noticed Giles had pretty much shut down, trying not to accept that his slayer was dead and he wasn't able to prevent it. Xander almost felt bad for him, aww too bad Xander really didn't. He got up to face Giles while Spike finished. "Well, G-man, I guess you failed big time huh? You failed Willow, you failed me so many times, you failed Buffy…damn how many times did you fail? I think we might be here all night actually. Ah well, ya don't need me reminding you how many times ya fucked up. I mean, hell she had a relationship with a vampire…2 vampires! That's got the wow factor going, just wow. At least she'll be remembered as the first slutty slayer right?"

Giles did not answer, nor did Xander expect an answer. The man looked so dejected; it was as though he were just waiting for the end. Xander knelt down next to Giles and smiled sweetly, "I can see you're having a hard time with this Giles. I mean, think about it she's the slayer…this was bound to happen eventually. But since your having such a hard time with this I'll help you out." Xander stood again, patting Giles' shoulder with a hand before reaching down and snapping the man's neck.

Xander headed for the stairs, noticing Spike had finished his meal, "come on, I wana get our stuff and get outa town. Let's leave Willow and Tara for now; they'll come after us eventually. We'll get them then." It was the glint in Xander's eyes that caused Spike to smile and follow his soon to be childe. Unlife didn't get any better than this.

Venice, Italy  
March 27, 2007

His feet pounding away at the ground as he ran, scents in his nose directing him which way to go, telling him his pursuer wasn't that far behind. Long blonde hair waved like a flag in the cool night air as the girl following him threw spell after spell to trip him up, but he'd been trained better than that.

Seeing his target finally within reach, he dove the last few feet into the opened crypt and quickly slid away out of sight. The trap was laid, the bait was set, it was only a matter of time now.

Tara walked in to the crypt she had seen her target disappear into. It was so very dark in here; maybe a little light was needed. She searched in her bag for the vial of liquid she'd brought with her. Ever since Buffy's death at Spike's hands, she and Willow had been in pursuit of him and Xander all across the world. Willow vowed to bring her best friend back from the clutches of the primal. She had grown exponentially as a witch and was more powerful than ever. However, something happened a couple years after they left Sunnydale. Willow had been caught off guard by Xander, who had been turned by Spike, and she had been turned herself. Tara woke in the morning to a vampire lover. She hadn't been able to save her, but she had been determined to bring her lover back and give her a soul.

"Willow, sweety? I just want to help you." Tara said as she pulled out the small vial of liquid and spoke to it. The liquid illuminated and lit up the dank crypt. It also lit up the half dozen or so vampire faces of minions. They all jumped at her at the same time, grabbing her arms and legs. She opened her mouth to chant a spell that would have them all falling to ash in mere seconds when she was cut off by a voice.

"Don't let her speak! She will cast a spell." Xander yelled at his minions as he stepped around a marble column. Spike's were currently off doing some errands for him, so it was up to his minions. Sure, he was still young, but he was very powerful and able to create and control capable minions thanks to his sire.

A vampire hand clamped over Tara's mouth before she could utter a syllable, the situation seemed dire indeed. If she could just concentrate enough she'd push them all off of her.

"Best be quick about it, luv. Don't want her to undo all our hard work now. She's a powerful little thing." Spike said as he too stepped around from behind a column, Willow following behind him. Spike smiled as he watched Xander's childe, Willow, move forward toward the dog pile of minions. Spike moved over to his childe and put his arm around the boy. They'd had a fun time, just him and the boy moving around the world. Then the witches showed up, just as Xander had predicted. Xander had been turned by then, and a powerful little shit he was already. Paid to have a powerful sire, that. They'd managed to trap one witch, Willow, but not Tara. Xander had originally planned to turn both at the same time, but this might be better. Willow and Tara would be together now for a long, long time; one as the other's sire.

Willow came forward and smiled, her vampire face dropping into place, fangs elongating for use. "Don't worry, baby, it won't hurt very much." Willow said as she took her place above Tara. She leaned forward and drove her fangs in deeply, beginning to pull from the jugular. For Tara's part, she had only screamed at the initial bite. As Willow drank from her she lay quietly, accepting her fate and embracing it. If this is what was meant for her, she was at least grateful she would be spending that time with Willow the one woman she loved.

Spike and Xander watched as the minions moved off and left the two alone. Spike watched carefully, to remind Willow when to stop if need be. She was young still, and this was her first childe. "That's enough, luv. Give 'er a bit of yours now, right? Make sure you give her a lot, be more powerful an retain more of herself."

Willow looked back at them with a smile before opening a cut across her bust and pulling Tara up to drink from it. Xander smiled softly, his family was now complete. "She's gona be powerful, ya know."

"That she is, luv. Willow retained all 'er powers when you turned 'er. Gona be damned hard t'keep up wiv them." Spike mumbled as he nuzzled Xander's neck affectionately.

"Scourge of Europe is back, Spike. Just as you wanted." Xander commented, tilting his head to give his sire access to his neck all he desired.

"Not the Scourge of Europe, luv. More'n that, when the light fades…we'll be there reeking untold havoc. The world is ours, luv, all ours. We just need to take it." Spike grinned determinedly and sealed his declaration with a kiss. More than Scourge of Europe now, this time would be different. This time would bring the fear of hell into the hearts of slayers, watchers, and humans everywhere.


End file.
